week 9 - match preview
Slomka hoping support of fans will lift tired legs
Just three days after the 2-0 Champions League win at Rosenborg the Royal Blues face another tough challenge when they take on third-placed SC Karlsruhe at the VELTINS Arena on Saturday. The newly promoted side have won five of their eight matches so far, including an impressive three out of four away from home, where they have already seen off FC Nürnberg, VfL Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Schalke know all about their forthcoming opponents, having played them twice in recent years. Slomka's men beat Karlsruhe 2-0 in a warm-up match ahead of the 2006/07 season and then secured a 1-0 victory in this year's League Cup campaign.
"In 2006 you could see something was coming together there. They're a good team", said Slomka, who expects to face a confident Karlsruhe side. It is almost ten years since the two clubs last faced each other in the Bundesliga, however. The last meeting, at the Wildparkstadion in Karlsruhe on 18 March 1998, ended in a scoreless draw.
The Schalke boss is particularly wary of the threat Karlsruhe pose on the counter-attack and from set pieces. "Five of their eleven goals have been scored by defenders from dead ball situations. So we'll have to be especially careful whenever they get a corner or a free-kick", he explained.
Slomka feels the visitors are at a slight advantage compared with the Royal Blues as they have had longer to prepare. After four matches in ten days Schalke have therefore focused more on recuperation in training to ensure they are fit and ready to face Karlsruhe. "We now have to find our rhythm again quickly and are looking to extend our winning run", said Slomka, who has set his sights firmly on a fourth league victory in a row.
To achieve this, the Schalke boss is counting on the support of the home crowd. "I'm hoping our fantastic fans will get behind us right from the start. Some of our players will have heavy legs after their recent exertions", he continued, before adding: "But with the backing of the crowd the lads will give it all they've got one more time before they go into the international break."
After missing out in Trondheim left-back Christian Pander is again sidelined by thigh trouble. Levan Kobiashvili, who can also play in this position, is another casualty, as are Mathias Abel (cruciate), Halil Altintop (thigh), Mladen Krstajic (knee) and Markus Heppke. On top of this, Dario Rodriguez is in Uruguay for family reasons.
